Brooklyn departure - can we drop luggage at ship early, and board later?

Hi everyone

We are coming from Australia and are booked on Royal Princess leaving Brooklyn on 25 October. We fly in to La Guardia at 9 a.m. and would love to see a little of New York, as we have never been there. Are we able to drop our luggage at the ship and stay onshore to have a look around? Judi

Hi everyone

We are coming from Australia and are booked on Royal Princess leaving Brooklyn on 25 October. We fly in to La Guardia at 9 a.m. and would love to see a little of New York, as we have never been there. Are we able to drop our luggage at the ship and stay onshore to have a look around? Judi

Yes you can drop off your checked luggage early. However you can't board the ship until after about noon. That assumes the ship is on time and everything is working smoothly.

If you are traveling so far why not come in a day or two early and enjoy the sights. Assuming the ship sails at 4 you have to be on board at least an hour before it sails(US regulations require a full manifest be transmitted at least an hour before the ship sails).

So unless you take you hand luggage with you or leave on of your party at the terminal, you will have only a few short hours to see not very much.

Your ship is out of Brooklyn, so even if you drop off your luggage early you won't be able to see many of the usual New York sights that people think of which are in Manhattan (not that there's anything wrong with Brooklyn!).

I would really consider flying in at least a day early, if for no other reason than so you don't miss the ship if there's any delay in your flight.

Yes, I know it's not long. What is there close by that we can visit? All flights are booked and that's what we have. It's a shame, I know.

Judi:(

Are you sure you are flying into LaG, not JFK. JFK is the international airport. Regardless, U.S. Customs clearance might take at least an hour, if not more.

Yes, I know it's not long. What is there close by that we can visit? All flights are booked and that's what we have. It's a shame, I know.

 

Judi:(

There is very little close by although you can see the Statue of Liberty from the ship. The Battle of Brooklyn took place near by during the US revolutionary war. Brooklyn Heights is close by(its the scene you got of Manhattan-New York City that shows the lower Manhattan sky line). If you want to get a quick tour, either have the cab take you through Manhattan(its the long way from LGA to the pier) and drive past things, so you can at least see them. past the Empire state building, the museums on Fifth avenue and while taking you the Pier by the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel you pass the World Trade Center memorial site. It will probably double the fare or more but its the only way you will get to see much. Its too bad that the old style cabby who would know what to do is not that much there today. Most cabbies are pretty new immigrants and their knowledge of the local lore is not that great.

for about a couple of hours, I would go down fifth avenue pass the great new york Museums...pass the Empire state Building down to the wall street area(most of which is not car accessible) pass Fraunces tavern where George Washington said farewell to his officers which has a small museum. then pass the World Trade center site from West Street and then over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn Heights and then to the pier. If you stop the cabs meter will continue to run...

What do you want to see? is there something you had in mind?

https://www.google.com/search?q=brooklyn+heights+promenade&client=firefox-a&hs=yBo&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=riZuU6SFJIzMsQTv94II&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=601

Hi everyone

We are coming from Australia and are booked on Royal Princess leaving Brooklyn on 25 October. We fly in to La Guardia at 9 a.m. and would love to see a little of New York, as we have never been there. Are we able to drop our luggage at the ship and stay onshore to have a look around? Judi

Don't forget to check out the roll call for your sailing. Just hop to the last page. We have over 1000 posts. Come on over...:)

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1858999

Wow! Thank you so much everyone for your responses. Got2cruise, we are def flying in at La Guardia because we are coming from Toronto after a train trip from Vancouver. Great suggestions Smeyer418 - that's what I was thinking, too. However, we've had a major change of plans which means we can get to NY 2 days earlier. I am so happy that we will now see a lot more of your beautiful city - I've printed your list Smeyer418 and we'll do them at leisure now!

Thank you Janetz for the invite to join the roll call - will do that right away. This is actually the replacement cruise for an Asian cruise that we were booked on leaving from Singapore last September. It was cancelled the morning the cruise was due to leave - we turned up at the terminal to be told the boat was not sailing.

Cheers everyone

Which hotel are you staying at? Some hotels are better than others for getting around independently.

We booked a private room in a penthouse with fantastic views in Manhattan near Central Park, through Airbnb.